Long Arm of the Law: Part 2 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Long Arm of the Law: Part 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 13, 2023

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of 88 Films' Long Arm of the Law: Parts I & II release.

88 Films has been giving other labels with a penchant for releasing Hong Kong fare a run for their money with any number of interesting releases, and this "double feature" release will no doubt be of interest to those who may already be attuned to what has been called the "heroic bloodshed" genre (or subgenre, as the case may be). And in fact both of these films are often aggregated as part of that category, whereas at least somewhat ironically while there may be copious bloodshed, it may a bit harder to spot any actual heroes. Both Long Arm of the Law and Long Arm of the Law Part II (actually called Saga II in its title credits) revolve around perceived "criminals", though in what might be called sterling examples of moral shades of gray, it's not always easy to say that the perceived good guys have any more of a moral compass than those underworld types. Both films offer some visceral action sequences, but may actually ultimately be more concerned with characters in uncertain contexts forced to take desperate measures. Per some breathless verbiage included with this release, these films were purportedly based on real life events, though some may want to take the overall verisimilitude of these efforts with a grain of salt, despite some admittedly gritty and visceral elements. There are actually even more sequels than just the first one included in this set, so 88 Films may have a series planned.

Long Arm of the Law: Part II takes many of the most visceral elements of the first film and "recycles" them, albeit in a slightly different guise that at times plays like the "flip side" to films like The Dirty Dozen. As with that well remembered Robert Aldrich property, there are quasi-mercenaries at the core of this story, desperate men willing to go undercover to achieve something akin to their freedom, though in this case that "flip side" mentality comes courtesy of the fact that the operatives in this case are former mainland Chinese police, tasked with a bit of "spying" on other mainland interlopers to Hong Kong who may be up to no good. Kind of interestingly, especially with regard to how American filmmakers tend to take whatever is the most "memorable" aspect about a so-called "tentpole" and then exploit it in each and every follow up, there's really no heist situation in this outing analogous to what eventually unfolds in the first film.

That very layering gives this sophomore entry in the series a bit of a novelistic flair, and that may be one reason why this film takes at least as long as the first film to get to the "good bits", if "good" is defined as the action elements. Interestingly, though, the characters in this story are almost types or near ciphers, and as such there may not be a notable "arc" in the traditional sense. All of this said, the second half of this film virtually explodes in over the top set pieces, and I'd argue that while perhaps not as groundbreaking as its progenitor, this sequel has a more consistent energy despite a somewhat slow burn start.

Long Arm of the Law: Part 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Long Arm of the Law: Part II is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. 88 Films offers only a generic "stunning new 2K restoration" as its sole technical tidbit. This is another largely very pleasing presentation, one that benefits from a lot of very well lit (often outdoor) material, where the palette pops agreeably and detail levels tend to be very good to excellent. There are some occasional very minor blips in clarity, notably in an early nightclub sequence (where some actual focus pulling might be part of the problem), but on the whole, the imagery here is sharp and offers some nice fine detail on things like costume fabrics and even some of the more gruesome aspects. There's a very slight peach tone on display at times but I don't think it materially interferes with the general naturalness of the palette. Grain resolves without any issues.

Long Arm of the Law: Part 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Long Arm of the Law features LPCM 2.0 Mono audio in the original Cantonese (Hong Kong Cut) or English (Export Cut). Both tracks deliver dialogue and sound effects well enough, though there is just the barest hint of crackling distortion in a couple of the almost weirdly "music box" inflected cues as well as some of the louder sound effects in the Cantonese track in particular. That said, the English track sounded overly reverberant to my ears, and I'd recommend sticking with the Cantonese if subtitle reading isn't a problem. Optional English subtitles are available.

Long Arm of the Law: Part 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Hong Kong Cut (HD; 1:30:19) and Export Cut (HD; 1:27:23) are accessible under the Play Film Menu.


• Audio Commentary by Hong Kong Film Expert Frank Djeng


• Bringing the Action (HD; 25:14) is an interview with director Michael Mak. Subtitled in English.


• Man of Action (HD; 16:09) is an interview with co-star Ben Lam. Subtitled in English.


• The Iron Fist of Crime (HD; 24:25) is an interview with stuntman Stephen Chan.


• Hong Kong Trailer (HD; 3:33)


• English Trailer (HD; 1:40)

Long Arm of the Law: Part 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It will be interesting to see if 88 Films follows up this "first" sequel with the others that follow, but this ostensible sophomore effort really doesn't offer much of that oft mentioned "slump" that can attend second helpings. This story has obvious tethers to the first film, most notably the tension between mainland China and Hong Kong, but it's a different story altogether, which may actually help it to emerge from the shadow of its progenitor. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.